# Raphael's Manager Readme

**Founder & CTO at Bonusly**

# Motivation for this document

I used to write code for a living. Now I manage people who manage people. The latter job is way harder, and the way my brain works both helps and hinders my ability to do it well. My motivation for writing this document is to explain to you (an executive reporting to me) how I work, what I expect, and what you can expect from me, so that we can have a strong and productive working relationship.

# My role

This [tweet](https://twitter.com/olkie/status/1015731164018085888) summarizes my role pretty well.

Bonusly is a venture-backed startup. [Growth](http://www.paulgraham.com/growth.html) is the name of the game. To achieve that we need great people, the right amount of systems & process, and to be world-class decision makers.

My goal is to be able to disappear for a month and it makes no difference to the organization. If I accomplish this goal it means that:

- You feel empowered as a leader to figure out what you need to do and how you think it should be done and then to get it done
- You have enough context to understand your priority and focus over the next quarter+
- You have built effective relationships with others in the company
- We have clearly-defined goals, KPIs, and roadmap

# What do I value most?

My Myers-Briggs personality type is [ENTJ](https://slack-files.com/T029BMC1C-F023YDDA5RD-9bf913ec19).

I value leaders who make me, their peers, and their team better. Generally speaking, if you are meeting [Bonusly's Executive Leader Expectations](https://docs.google.com/document/d/18guwIDuFRw9riP6mpEUuUzWMqARodP_fVkLZlF1Z8Hc/edit#heading=h.vkfpsv6m6qfx), then you are doing that.

I value leaders who know way more than I do about their domain. I value leaders who own their goals and numbers, deliver consistently, and find ways to help their peers even more successful at the same time.

I value discussion and disagreement as a path to deeper understanding. Leaders should constantly _seek_ productive disagreement. One way I try to do that is by articulating what I believe and why, not because I want you to agree, but because I want you to point out where you disagree and tell me why.

I value candid critical feedback and delivering bad news as quickly as possible.

I value leaders who are [good at making decisions, and great at learning from past decisions](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0735216355?tag=randohouseinc23204-20).

# My expectations

Please proactively tell me if your intuition says something is wrong with team dynamics, an individual, or anything else that may eventually grow into a major concern.  
  
Please have structured weekly 1:1s with your direct reports (we have a standard structure we follow at Bonusly). Your output is the output of your team plus the output of teams that you influence. Set clear expectations, inspect progress weekly, and provide feedback, encouragement and/or course correction.

Please deliver candid feedback to me whenever you have it. I really value feedback, and it will help us work better together.

Please tell me what you need. Your success is my success. If you feel blocked, slowed-down, or under-resourced, tell me. I will do everything in my power to set you up for success. That said, you'll get even more leverage out of me if you've already identified one or more potential solutions to any problems or challenges that you'd like my help with.

If you need a decision, or approval of a decision, please present it to me as an Approve/More Discussion statement. I.e. say "I think the wall should be painted orange instead of green because of XYZ. Approve/More Discussion?" _Don't_ say "Should we paint the walls orange or green?"

Please routinely reach out to your team’s stakeholders. Keep an ear to the ground about what they’re doing, and be proactive about responding to them when they reach out.

Please build a peer network for yourself. Please lean on them, as you do me, as you explore solutions to challenges you face.  
  
Please continue to educate yourself: use your Professional Development budget, attend conferences, participate in [Guilds](https://www.guilds.cc/), learn from peers, etc.

# What you can expect of me

A weekly, highly structured 1:1 in which we inspect progress on last week's commitments, review progress on OKRs/KPIs, discuss new problems and potential solutions, connect you with the help and resources you need, celebrate wins and personal/professional development, and define what will be done next week.  
  
Rapid responses. You can expect from me a response as soon as possible, even if that’s to set an expectation with you about when to expect an in-depth response from me (or clarity on what I’m blocked on, if anything.)

Prioritization of your team's needs. Be it input/feedback, budget, time, mentorship, personnel, etc. I'm here to help you and your team be successful.

Periodic skip-level 1:1s with your direct reports.

# 1:1s

I have weekly 1:1s with my direct reports, and expect you to do the same with yours. I have less-frequent skip-level 1:1s with your reports. I have regular (bi-weekly to monthly) check-ins with each of our board members.

You lead our 1:1. The agenda is filled out by you 24 hours ahead of time, and I take time beforehand to review and prepare in order to make the meeting as productive as possible.

# Life outside of Bonusly

Much of my life revolves around my family (wife Nina and two kids, Oren and Rami), and around Bonusly. But I do try to fit in time for some hobbies, which include:

- Biking (formerly mountain biking, now mostly cruising around with the kids)
- Running (more in my pre-parent days, but I still try)
- Hiking/camping/fishing
- Dungeons and Dragons
- Reading (when I can... I'm mostly a lurker in the #books channel)
- Gardening